A blog about engagement and marketing

An open letter to LinkedIn

Can I call you Link? I fell like I’ve known you for years. I was telling people to add Slideshare to their LinkedIn profile four years ago. Five years ago I wanted our senior staff to use LinkedIn instead of the “people” page on our site.

I think I’ve written about LinkedIn over 20 times. This post, the 10 things you can do on LinkedIn right now was so popular it received dozens of blog spam posts about Good Credit (which I changed to Bad Credit).

Anyway, back to my letter. Thanks for adding “majors” and “skills” to the /edu/ section.

Colgate on LinkedIn

Awesome.

You have one of the most awesome databases on the Internet. You are the outcome proof of Colleges and Universities. What do you want to do with a History degree? Why, just click History.

Want to know what kind of skills you’ll learn? Click major and see the skills. It is the perfect tool for prospective students. It is also the perfect tool for alumni. That would be why there are 19,000+ of them on LinkedIn.

Here’s the thing though: students don’t see the value. A student goes to a Liberal Arts school and does more than get a history degree. They acquire skills. They participate in activities. They become complete people able to accomplish almost anything in the real world.

The schools have that data.

So here’s a thought: what if schools could feed LinkedIn the activity and accomplishment data to your database? This would encourage students to get a profile, while also showcasing the value proposition of an education. Especially a residential Liberal Arts education.

Additionally, the profile could have a College approved stamp on it, meaning the data on the profile is certified.

LinkedIn, you’re awesome for people who have “work experience.” I think you can be awesome for people who have “College experience.” You might not need help, but I’m offering it.